Button knot

A button knot is a knot that forms a bulge of thread. Button knots are essentially stopper knots, but may be esthetically pleasing enough to be used as a button on clothes.

The single-strand button is a third type of knob knot, in which the working end leaves the knot at the neck, parallel with the standing part, so that the two parts, or ends, together form a stem. The lay of the two ends is the same, and the knot is symmetrical throughout.

— The Ashley Book of Knots[1]

Button knot
Names	Button knot, Stopper knots, As numbered in picture : 1- Fiador, 2- Sailor's diamond (#693), 3- Figure-eight loop, 4- Diamond, 5- knife lanyard, 6- Chinese button, 7- Chinese button doubled, 8- True lover's, 9- Ashley's, 10- Celtic button, 11- Celtic button on the bight (and thus doubled and with lanyard loop), 12- Friendship, 13- Figure-eight, 14- Overhand
Typical use	Keeps the line from slipping out of things.

There are many methods for tying button knots, such as the Chinese button knot, the Celtic button knot and the monkey fist. The Ashley Book of Knots contains over a hundred examples.

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  Celtic button knot single, with 4 steps of tying it
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  Celtic button knot double, flat and tightened forms
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  Celtic button knot formed on the bight, untightened - flat
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  Celtic button knot formed on the bight, tightened

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  Chinese button knot front side
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  Chinese button knot back side

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  Pairs of monkey's fists formed as cufflinks in silk
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  a larger monkey's fist formed with a thicker rope
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  a heavy monkey's fist for throwing with an eye splice

References

1. Ashley, Clifford W. (1993) [1944], The Ashley Book of Knots, New York: Doubleday, p. 101, ISBN 0-385-04025-3. See, p. 101, at Google Books and Archive.org.